11 Cocaine in the 1980s

Introduction: Early Cocaine Use in the Americas

Coca leaves have long been a medicinal plant for those living in the Andes mountains (DEA Museum, 2021). Traditionally, the coca plant leaves are chewed, producing an energy boost similar to a cup of coffee. However, with the conquest of North and South America, Europeans quickly discovered the stimulating effects of the coca leaves (DEA Museum, 2021). In the 1800s and early 1900s, the coca leaves were synthesized into the more potent form of cocaine (DEA Museum, 2021). Cocaine then began to be used medicinally and was said to be a remedy for almost any ailment (DEA Museum, 2021).

While many praised cocaine, awareness of possible adverse effects increased. More research and studies came out about the addictive qualities of cocaine in the early 1900s (DEA Museum, 2021). Because of this, many people began opposing the addition of cocaine to many popular medicines and beverages such as Coca-Cola, wine, and common household medications like cough medications and toothpaste (Goldstein et al., 2008). In 1914, The Harrison Act was passed, which made cocaine illegal in the United States (Das, 1993). Cocaine would not become a popular recreational drug in the US again until the 1980s.

The Rise of Cocaine in the 1980s

The 1970s saw an increase in the production of cocaine, mainly in Colombia. The Medellín Cartel, led by Pablo Escobar, began producing cocaine and transporting it to the Bahamas to be smuggled into the United States (DEA, n.d.a). By the mid-1980s, the Medellín Cartel profited an average of four billion dollars a year. (Green, 2015). Approximately 80% of this cocaine supply made its way to the United States (DEA Museum, 2021).

At the same time, cocaine was becoming incredibly popular in America. Pure cocaine could cost several hundred dollars a gram, making it extremely popular amongst the wealthy and celebrities who often consumed it at high-end clubs. (Miech, 2017). Due to limited research about the effects of cocaine, many people believed that cocaine was a safe drug. By the mid-1980s, there were approximately six million users of cocaine in the United States (DEA Museum, 2021).

The Rise of Crack Cocaine 

The increased demand for cocaine in America led drug cartels to find new ways to reach more consumers. With crack cocaine, more products could be made with the same amount of coca leaves, leading the price of crack cocaine to fall dramatically. The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) first found crack cocaine entering America in the early 1980s. Cities such as Miami became centers for smuggling crack into America. By 1983, crack was found in Miami and New York City. Most users of crack cocaine initially were upper middle-class and young professionals (Miech, 2008).

Where powder cocaine had once cost several hundred dollars for a gram, cities such as Philadelphia and New York City now had access to crack cocaine for as little as $5.00 a gram (Miech, 2008). The cheaper form of cocaine (crack cocaine) increased accessibility in different populations and demographics. Whereas cocaine was initially popular amongst wealthy and primarily White demographics, crack cocaine was affordable enough for people from poorer demographics to access (Miech, 2008). By the mid-1980s, there was a significant increase in the number of Latino and African American communities using crack cocaine (DEA, n.d.b).

The War on Drugs

President Nixon officially declared the War on Drugs in 1971 (Smith, 2021). While other substances and drugs were also being used at this time, the rising popularity of powder and crack cocaine in the 1980s made it a primary target in the War on Drugs. In 1986, Attorney General Edwin Meese declared that the government’s central attack on drugs would be to stop the supply of cocaine coming from other countries (DEA, n.d.b). The DEA led multiple raids to arrest drug lords living in America, and in 1993 the death of Medellín Cartel drug lord Pablo Escobar meant the end of one of the largest producers of cocaine in the world (Anderson, 2018). However, other cartels, such as the Guadalajara and Cali cartel, would quickly rise to take the Medellín cartel’s place (DEA, n.d.b).

Along with the DEA’s attempts to drive cartels out of the US, federal campaigns and actions against cocaine became popular. First Lady Nancy Reagan founded multiple anti-drug campaigns, including the famous Red Ribbon Week, which raised awareness for drug violence and sought to convince people to lead drug-free lives (DEA, 1985-1990). However, the war’s most pivotal move against cocaine was signaled by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which intensified the penalties for owning drugs and created new measures for scheduling drugs. This bill allocated six billion dollars to enforcing anti-drug policies (DEA, n.d.b).

Go to this link to see a speech televised by Nancy Reagan for her “Just Say No” campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQXgVM30mIY

Under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, crack and powder cocaine possession received different sentencing and penalties. Due to unscientifically based claims that crack cocaine was more dangerous than powder cocaine, crack cocaine received a sentencing difference of 100 to 1 from powder cocaine, with mandatory minimum sentencing of five years. This law meant that 500 grams of powder cocaine received the same sentencing as five grams of crack (Miech, 2008). This change disproportionally affected African American communities due to an increase in the selling of crack cocaine in inner-city neighborhoods (Turner, 2022). A disproportionate number of African Americans were put in prison because of these new laws that penalized crack cocaine use with a much harsher sentencing than powder cocaine (Miech, 2008).

Cocaine Policy Today

During the Obama Administration, there was a push to reduce cocaine sentencing disparities. In 2010, the Fair Sentencing Act was passed, which reduced the disparities between powdered and crack cocaine (ACLU, 2023). While the laws penalized crack vs cocaine have been reduced to a difference of 18:1 under the Fair Sentencing Act, this sentencing disparity is still present Many states are considering whether those sentenced to jail before the Fair Sentencing Act should be reexamined in light of the new law, or maintain their present jail sentence (ACLU, 2023). There is still a 5-year minimum sentence for cocaine and, in some cases, a multimillion-dollar fine. Many are still in jail due to crack cocaine possession in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. (Miech, 2008).

Conclusion: Cocaine in America Today and Treatment Options 

Opioids have displaced cocaine as the leading drug in overdoses, but in the past twenty years, cocaine-related overdose deaths have increased steadily (Spencer et al., 2022). As demonstrated in the graph below, up until recently, cocaine was the stimulant with the most potential for abuse among the category of psychostimulant drugs (Spencer et al., 2022). Despite cocaine no longer being responsible for the highest number of overdoses, cocaine-related deaths have increased by 33% between 2020 and 2021 (Spencer et al., 2022).

Modern cocaine now runs the risk of being cut with fentanyl, which can make the drug more dangerous and potent. The addition of fentanyl has dramatically increased the number of cocaine-related deaths in America (NIH, 2023).

There are no pharmaceutical means of preventing cocaine addiction or overdoses as of now. However, there are clinical trials being conducted using medications that block dopamine . One of these medications is disulfiram, a drug known for treating alcoholism. This drug prevents dopamine from being converted to norepinephrine, a hormone that causes euphoria and stimulating effects known to occur with cocaine (NIDA, 2020). Another treatment option in clinical trials is a cocaine vaccine, which would produce antibodies that bind to cocaine within the body, therefore preventing it from binding with neurotransmitters (NIDA, 2020). Other behavioral means of intervention include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy  and Contingency Therapy.

References 

American Civil Liberties Union. (2023). Fair Sentencing Act. https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/drug-law-reform/fair-sentencing-act

Anderson, J. (2018, Feb 26). The Afterlife of Pablo Escobar. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/05/the-afterlife-of-pablo-escobar

AspenRidge Recovery. (n.d.). How is Cocaine Made?, https://www.aspenridgerecoverycenters.com/how-is-cocaine-made/

Das G. (1993). Cocaine abuse in North America: a milestone in history. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 33(4), 296–310. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1552-4604.1993.tb04661.x

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (n.d.a)  1980-1985. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/1980-1985_p_49-58.pdf

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (n.d.b)  1985-1990. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/1985-1990_p_58-67.pdf

DEA Museum (2021). Coca. https://museum.dea.gov/exhibits/online-exhibits/cannabis-coca-and-poppy-natures-addictive-plants/coca

Department of Justice (n.d.) Crack cocaine fast facts. https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs3/3978/3978p.pdf

Goldstein, R. A., DesLauriers, C., & Burda, A. M. (2009). Cocaine: history, social implications, and toxicity–a review. Disease-a-month : DM, 55(1), 6–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.disamonth.2008.10.002

Miech R. (2008). The formation of a socioeconomic health disparity: the case of cocaine use during the 1980s and 1990s. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 49(3), 352–366. https://doi.org/10.1177/002214650804900308

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2020, June 11). How is cocaine addiction treated? http://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/cocaine/what-treatments-are-effective-cocaine-abusers

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2023, Febraury 9). Drug Overdose Death Rates. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates

Smith, B. (2021, August 24). New Documents Reveal the Bloody Origins of America’s Long War on Drugs. Time Magazine. https://time.com/6090016/us-war-on-drugs-origins/

Spencer MR, Miniño AM, Warner M. (2022, December 22) Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 2001–2021. NCHS Data Brief, no 457. National Center for Health Statistics. 2022. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:122556.

Turner, D. S. (2022, October 3). Crack epidemic. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/crack-epidemic